March has at long last arrived, and that means the birds are atwitter as layers of insulating clothing are quickly being doffed. It also signals the beginning of baseball season and the return of masked guns-for-hire wreaking havoc across the globe. Well, that last bit is probably more of a year-round occurrence, but that doesn't change the fact that EA's Army of Two debuts on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this week. Having retreated from the holiday 2007 fray, EA has spent the intervening months polishing the co-op-oriented third-person shooter, as noted in GameSpot's recent hands-on with the game.

With all 30 professional clubs now having reported for spring training, Take-Two and Sony are stepping up to the plate with their annual pro baseball sims. As the exclusive third-party licensor of Major League Baseball for games, Take-Two has a number of refinements for this year's MLB 2K8 on the Xbox 360, PS3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii, including entirely new pitching and batting mechanics. As console makers are exempt from Take-Two's deal, Sony will once again be fielding PS3, PS2, and PSP versions of MLB 08: The Show, which have been bulked up with a revised franchise mode and online features.

Gamers more interested in playing ball with mythological creatures' heads undoubtedly already know that Kratos returns this week with God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP. The third installment in the GOW series, Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the first two PS2 installments and follows an anguish-filled Kratos as he rampages through Ancient Greece in the wake of his family's demise. The game will also be receiving a special-edition bundle featuring a "deep red" PSP silk screened with Kratos' glowering mug in June.

THQ's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm and Rockstar Games' Bully: Scholarship Edition round off the week's high-profile release lineup. The final project of Iron Lore Entertainment, Soulstorm is the third expansion to Games Workshop's far-future real-time strategy series of PC games developed primarily by Relic Entertainment. Though the PS2 branch of Bullworth Academy has been in operation since October 2006, the expanded Xbox 360 and Wii campuses open this week with Bully: Scholarship Edition.

The Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii will each be receiving one new downloadable offering this week. Revealed last week, Capcom's overhead shooter Rocketmen: Axis of Evil will be hopping aboard Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, for $10 (aka 800 Microsoft points). Wii gamers will be able to check out the Bionic Commando-influenced action platformer Super Turrican for 800 Wii points ($8).

This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

this is when it starts! Only problem with such amazing games coming out is which one to get or should I just start growing money trees?
for march:
bully or army of two?
MLB 08 the show or bully?
Condemned 2 or bully? army of two or MLB 08?
army of two or condemned 2?
MLB 08 or condemned 2?
THIS IS HARD!

this kinda sux for me. i already own the fat psp and want to play gow right away, but i want to get the bundle because of that badass looking red psp. why does it have to come out in june? it is going to be tough waiting ... again. i totally do not understand this marketing strategy.

once buy my PS#3, ill be getting origins for ps2 and then (even though this game isn't not the list :P) patapon!
some great games are coming out soon and i think 08 will be considered the new year of the gamer after 07 :)

Damn, MLB the Show has been like crack for my PSP. I am still playing 07 for my PSP as I speak. In my 13th season. Guess it's time to retire the old chap & start a new.....(sigh).....when will it end. Krotos might be breaking up the base pads but I doubt I will play it for a full year like I do the Show...but this month has a lot of good games high lighted with GoW & FFCC...can someone add an extra hour a day so that I may enjoy these treats.

Bully and Army of Two look decent, but God of War just destroys them. If you don't agree, IMO, you have some pretty bad taste. As for the whole 2K vs The Show, The Show has always been the better series. Anybody who has a Sony console should get The Show instead. Though it'd be nice to see the MVP series come back, since it was a pretty good series.